Canada future-proofs fight against nature loss with biodiversity strategy and accountability act

Federal strategy and complementary accountability legislation make good on biodiversity promises while advancing reconciliation 

TORONTO, June 13, 2024 /CNW/ – Today’s release of Canada’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and Nature Accountability Act by Environment and Climate Change Canada is a critical step to achieving Canada’s commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), while upholding a rights-based approach that supports Indigenous leadership.

Elizabeth Hendriks, VP of restoration and regeneration, WWF-Canada says:

“The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is essentially a map for how we can get from where we are now — a country where at-risk species continue to decline despite interventions — to a future where we’re on track to reverse the loss of nature and wildlife while respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples.  

We are pleased to see that many of WWF-Canada’s recommendations have been adopted in the plan, including centering Indigenous-led conservation and aligning actions across government departments. We look forward to working with stakeholders across society to ensure that impact is seen on the ground for communities and nature.” 

International commitments such as the Kunming-Montreal Agreement and the Paris Accord are critical to galvanizing global action. But to deliver results, this action plan must be followed with ambitious targets, and funding. By announcing the Nature Accountability Act at the same time as the NBSAP, Canada is setting out to future-proof its commitment by legislating action.

This NBSAP is coming at a time when Canada is facing increasingly devastating climate-fueled wildfires, droughts and floods which are creating even more urgency for a plan to restore damaged habitats and protect intact ecosystems. Achieving our international commitments requires a whole-of-society approach that includes Indigenous perspective, provinces and territories within the strategy.

In addition to today’s strategy, initiatives such as the Bonn Challenge and Freshwater Challenge have the power to motivate progress towards  will also help motivate progress towards these commitments. 

When countries signed on to the KMGBF, they committed to four goals and 23 targets which together are meant to halt and reverse nature loss by the end of the decade. These include:  

Recovering and conserving populations of the most critically endangered animals and plants. Conserving 30 per cent of the world’s lands, waters and oceans and restoring 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems. Tackling the direct drivers of nature loss by transforming sectors and industries like agriculture, fisheries, forestry, infrastructure and resource extraction. Redirecting the flow of finance away from activities that harm our planet toward those that heal, including businesses and financial institutions investing in nature and regularly monitoring, assessing and disclosing the biodiversity-related impacts of their work.  

All of this must be undertaken with a rights-based approach that affirms Indigenous rights, responsibilities, governance and economies.  

WWF-Canada is committed to equitable and effective conservation actions that restore nature, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We draw on scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance to ensure all our efforts connect to a single goal: a future where wildlife, nature and people thrive. For more information visit wwf.ca.

SOURCE World Wildlife Fund Canada